Dental occlusial device



May 21, 1924. 1,495,390

J. G. HOLLINGSWORTH DEN-TAL occLUsIAL DEVICE Filed May l, 1922 l www 5- Patented May Z7, 1,9245

FFicE;

JEP'I'HA Gr. HOLLINGSWORTH, 0F KANSAS CITY. MISSOURI. i

DNTAL OCCLUSIAL DEVICE.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JEPTHA G. HOLLINGS- WORTH, a citizen of theUnited States, and resident of Kansas City, Jackson County,

Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Dental Occlusialf Devices, of which the followingis a com plete specification.

This invention relates to a method of articulating upper and lower sets of artificial teeth in the mouth of a patient and to dental occlusial devices for use in such methods, and my object is to provide for expeditiously and economically equipping a patient with a complete set of properly articulated artificial teeth with the least possible an-y noyance to the patient and without putting the operator to the trouble of adjusting the teeth with respect to each other,` the course or method now followed by dentists and yprothesis who employ articulators of various types in their work. Y

A further object is to produce an occlusial device by which upper and lower sets of teeth can be simultaneously adj usted forward,

backward or laterally in the mouth ofthe patient to enable the ylatter by consulting a mirror, to see the effect produced with the Y mouth closed and opened and hence .dec-ide be permanently s et.

Another object is to provide a device of this character capable of expansion or contraction to accommodate jaws of different width.

With vthese objects in view, the linvention consists in the production as a new article of manufacture, of `a plate having upper andr lower faces contoured to receive the articuficial teeth and to retain such teeth in place, and also in the method whereby such teeth are transferred to trial mouthplates in .a po-y sition acceptable to the patient, as herein-l after described and claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in ,A which:

Figure 1 represents a front elevation illus-V trative of the meansv and method whereby upper and lower sets` of artificial teeth are transferred'from an occlusial plate en'ibodyf-` Application filed. May 1,

in what position it is desired the teeth' shall f lated Vends of upper and lower sets of arti,

1922. serial No. 557,514.l

ing the invention to trial mouthplates within the mouth of a patient; Y Figure 2 is a verticalA section takenon the line II--II of Figure A3;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line- III-III of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a plan viewvof an occlusial.

Iplate and setby another character, and-so on. It is customary for manufacturers to provide adozen sets, more orl less, of artificial teeth, so as to be prepared to vmeet all conditions which may arise, and itis therefore contemplated that there shall bezan occlusial plate for'v each standard set of artificial teeth produced by manufacturers.

The vusual trial plates upon which lthe teeth are to bejtemporarily mounted are then. applied vproperly within the mouth as they will beworn. Dental wax or gum or the `like will then be 'caused toadhere tothe gum margins of the said plates.

The patients mouth will then be widely opened andthe occlusial plate with theteeth mounted 'thereon will be inserted in the 'mouth and held in position by the dentist who may at the same time have a mirror properly disposed to permit the patient to note the effect.. If necessary, the dentist can shift the plate until the patient is satisfied who then is `instructed to close the jawsand thus effect the embedment of the teeth in the wait` Vor gum. After the lapse of a few minutes the mouth can be reopened, this action.

withdrawing the teeth from the occlusial plate because of the adhesion of the teeth to the gum, and permitting the latter tovbe removed, when it will be'found: that the teeth will articulate properly..

The trial plates with the waX and teeth affixed thereto are then removed, and the waxing up is finished and the plates are iasked The plates are then invested in plaster of Paris or the like, and after the same sets the trial plates and wax are removed and the teeth are packed with rubber and vulcanized g' all steps beginning with the removal of the trial plates with the wax and teeth affixed thereto, being common in the art, and constituting no part of thisinvention. l

Referring now to the drawing in detail, A indicates an occlusial plate for use with an upper set and a lower set of artificial teeth, which may be correspondingly identified or otherwise bythe manufacturer, said sets of teeth being identified by the characters a and a in the drawing to avoid confusion in the application of the reference characters.

The occlusial plate is produced by any suitable or preferred method by the manufacturer and will preferably be made of metal though it may be made of any other material such as celluloid, hard rubber or any substance having the properties of stiff ness and rigidity and which willnot soften or become deformed while being handled or from heat or moisture. The plate is shown as substantially yoke-shaped at 1, and provided with a stem or handle portion 2. The yoke portion of the plate willbe formed in its upper side with cavities 3 of contour to properly articulate with the biting edges of the upper set of teeth. At its lower side, it will be provided with like cavities 4 for proper articulation with the biting. edges of the lower set of teeth, and the cavities will be preferably of sufficient depth to receive and retain the sets of teeth therein against dislocation when handled with a reasonable degree of care, it having been demonstrated in practice that a plate of the character described will retain sets of teeth therein without the necessity of using any adhesive 'for the purpose, though it is obvious that if desired an adhesive may be employed for temporarily holding the teethin place. If the use of an adhesive is resorted to, however, it should hold the teeth but lightly sokthat the connection maybe readily broken, as hereinafter explained.

Assuming that a patientto be fitted with articial teeth has approved. a particularset of teeth and that suchteeth have been applied to the occlusialplate asexplained, trial plates 5 and 6 are fitted in the mouth, and strips of dental gum orthe like 7 arepressed againstthe gum line of the trial plates so as to adhere thereto. The operator then slipsthe occlusial plate with the teeth applied thereto, as shown, intoy the p atients mouth and holding the plate by its handle in the position which ,hel deems` proper, has the patient partially close the mouth, rJlhe operator can then provide a mirror so that the patient may see the result, and by manipulation of the occlusial plate by apply ing force upon the handle thereof, can shove all' the teeth further into the mouth, draw them forward, or shift them to the right or the left, accomplishing this result obviously without in any way` disturbing the articulative relation between the teeth and the plate. When a ysatisfactory adjustment has been effected the patient will be advised to close the mouthl firmly and retain it closed for a few minutes. The closure of the mouth causes the root ends of the teeth to become embedded in the strips of wax, and the connection thus established will, after the lapse of a few minutes, be so firm that upon the reopening ofthe mouth, the teeth will be withdrawn from the occlusial plate which the dentist will then remove. He will also remove the plates with the gum and the teeth affixed thereto.

As hereinbefore stated, the succeeding steps in the application of the teeth to permanent mouthplates, will be according to common practice and hence are not illustrated or described, but from the foregoing it. will be apparent that by the use of an occlusial plate of the character described it is feasible to tranfer whole sets of properly articulated teeth to trial mouthplates, and individual adjustment of the teeth is cntirely obviated.

To avoid the necessity of providing occlusial plates to accommodate slight variations in the width of the aws, plates may be made in two sections frictionally pivoted together as at 8 on the medial line L so that pivotal adjustments of the plateto more widely separate the inolars shall not appreciably change the spacing of the front teeth at opposite sides of such line, it being obvious that a very slight adjustment one way or the other, will permit the plate to be used on wide or narrow jaws.

It will befapparent from the drawing and description that the invention is susceptible of modification in minor particulars without departing from4 the principle of construction and mode of operation involved, and I therefore reserve the right to make all changes falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. i

lf claim:

1. A dental occlusial plate composed of a pair of like members hinged together and Vhaving their4 upper and lower faces contouredl for proper articulation respectively with articulated upper and lower sets of teeth.

2. A dental occlusial plate of stiff material ycomposed of two like members hinged together and provided withl cavities in its upper and lower sidesy coforming to and adapted for receiving anI holding upper and lower sets of properly articulated teeth being adjustablv connected so that the plete at the biting ends thereof. as a whole can be widened or narrowed to 3. A dental occlusiel plate consisting of accommodate jaws of different Width. 10 two sections, each section being provided in In witness whereof I hereunto affix my 5 its upper and lower' faces with cavities consignature.

forming to and adapted for receiving and holding corresponding teeth; said sections JEPTHA G. HOLLINGSWORTH. 

